Stop Auto Reset after a Blue Screen Error on Windows

Every version of Windows since Windows XP has the default option to automatically reset the PC after a "Stop Error" - what we call a Blue Screen of Death. This makes troubleshooting harder, and can lead to an infinite loop. Here's how to stop auto reset in any version of Windows.

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How to stop auto reset in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10

We will find the option to stop auto reset at the Startup and Recovery settings screen. A fast way to open this screen is pressing the Windows Logo key + R to open the "Run" window, and type:

systempropertiesadvanced

Then we click on Settings at the Startup and Recovery section.

We just need to uncheck the "Automatically restart" check box and press OK.

From now on, when the system throws a Blue Screen of Death, it will stay at that screen until we press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, manually reset the PC or use the power button to shut it down.

This process will also work to stop auto reset on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

Why does Windows automatically reset after a BSoD?

Windows Millenium Edition (ME) was one of the worst versions of Windows ever made. It was also the last version of Windows where, after getting a stop error, it would stay on that screen until the user presses any key to continue.

Since Windows XP, Microsoft decided to automatically reset the PC after a BSoD. It usually happened so fast, that the blue screen would only show for a fraction of a second.

This ended up being very confusing for a lot of users, especially if they got a stop error during a Windows shutdown. They would never see the blue screen, and instead of shutting down, the PC would just seem to restart.

What's worse, if a stop error occurred on Windows startup, the system could enter an infinite loop.

There is no practical reason for an automatic reset after a BSoD, but since Microsoft has kept it this way for the past five version of Windows, it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

Did you manage to stop auto reset on Windows after a BSoD?

If anything on the guide didn't work as described, and you weren't able to stop auto reset on Windows, leave us a comment.

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